Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Munguia: "I Want To Face Alvarez,
So I Have To Stay Undefeated";
No Love Lost Between Lemieux & O'Sullivan

By Daniel Cloutier
Photos: Tom Hogan - HoganPhotos/Golden Boy

LAS VEGAS - The WBO super welterweight champion of the
world, the Mexican Jaime Munguia, has huge ambitions. “I
really want to fight Saul Canelo Alvarez, but to keep
this ambition, I got to stay undefeated Saturday
evening…. and Alvarez has to beat Gennady Golovkin,”
said Munguia Thursday afternoon at the undercard final
press conference at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino. “I tried
to face Golovkin a few months ago, but this fight never
became reality. Then, my ambition now is to fight
Alvarez. I am ready to move up in the middleweight
division to face Alvarez.”

Munguia, a fighter of 154 pounds, has a perfect record:
30-0-0, with 25 wins by KO or TKO.

Before the WBA and WBC middleweight (160 pounds)
championship of the world opposing Golovkin (38-0-1),
from Kazakstan, to Alvarez (49-1-2), a Mexican, Munguia
will face the Canadian Brendon Cook (20-1-0), from
Toronto. Cook was dreaming since long time to get a shot
for a world title.

“Cook, obviously, is determined to surprise me Saturday
evening, but I am mentally, physically and technically
ready for this challenge,” said Munguia. “Like I said, I
got to keep my perfect record, and I will achieve tisto
reach my goal. Cook has the reputation to be a very
aggressive fighter, but it’s absolutely not a problem
for me. I am myself an intense fighter. I got an
excellent preparation, and I am impatient to be in the
ring. I am positive that my fans will be plenty satisfy
of the result of my fight Saturday evening.”

Cook is the fighter who inflicted to the Montrealer
Steven Butler his only loss in pro boxing (24-1-1) in
2017 in the ring of the Bell Centre in Montréal. Cook
defended successfully his NABA North American super
welterweight championship in beating Butler by TKO in
the seventh round.

“Since a long time, my dream is to become world
champion, and I have this opportunity now,” said Cook.
“I know I have a good opponent, he is tall, solid on his
legs, good technically, but I will fight with intensity
from the beginning to the end to dethrone him. I am
positive I have the weapons to become the new WBO
champion of the world.”

Before the presentation of the two world championships
bouts of the evening, the former IBF middleweight
champion of the world, the Montrealer middleweight David
Lemieux (39-4-0), will face the Irish Garry O’Sullivan
(28-2-0), who is ranked third contender by the WBA and
sixth by the WBC in the 160 pounds division.

“Lemieux, you are a piece a shit,” said O’Sullivan while
looking at Lemieux at this undercard press conference.
“I will kick your butt Saturday evening.”

The hostility is clear between these two middleweights.
“O’Sullivan can make all the declarations he wants,
Lemieux is gonna knock him out,” said Lemieux’s
promoter, the former world champion Oscar De La Hoya,
the big boss of Golden Boy Promotions in Los Angeles.
“David is so motivated to beat this guy. I am not
worried at all.”

The Montrealer promoter Camille Estephan, who is
Lemieux’s manager, said: “I totally agree with Oscar De
La Hoya. The fight will be nasty and spectacular, but
David will be the big winner… and he is gonna win by KO,
possibly in a pretty short fight.”

Marc Ramsay, Lemieux’s trainer, is very calm at few
hours of the big moment. “David Lemieux got a fantastic
training camp, and I am positive he will offer us a
splendid performance Saturday evening,” said Ramsay.
“David is always motivated at few hours or few days of a
significant fight, but I can tell you that his
motivation is really at the top now.”

Roman Gonzalez (46-2-0), from Nicaragua, the WBC second
contender in the super flyweight (112 pounds) division,
will fight the Mexican Moises Fuentes (25-5-1). Gonzalez
got a perfect record of 46-0-0 in 2016, but he lost the
two fights in 2017, each time against Wisaksil Wangek
(46-4-1), a fighter from Thailand. Wanseg won the first
fight by KO in the fourth round, the second one by
unanimous decision, each time in a WBC super lightweight
championship of the world.

“I am in perfect physical condition, then, I will
certainly be energetic in that fight,” said Gonzalez. “I
am expecting to deliver a great performance, and no
doubt in my mind, I will finish the bout in the
winning’s corner.”

Fuentes smiled in hearing Gonzalez. “Gonzalez is
established favorite to win this fight, but I don’t
care,” said Fuentes. “I will cause a huge surprise
Saturday evening.”

Jut before the fight Gonzalez-Fuentes, we will have an
all Ortiz bout. The Texan super lightweight Vergil Ortiz
(10-0-0) will face the Mexican Roberto Ortiz (35-2-2).

“I am expecting a tough fight, but I am ready for it,”
said Vergil Ortiz. “I want so much to move up in the
ratings and reach soon the Top 15 or the Top 10 of the
international ratings. Then, I got to win significant
bouts, including this one.”

Roberto Ortiz replied: “My opponent is one of the best
prospect in boxing. Trust me, I will do everything
possible to inflict him his first lost in pro boxing.
And I am extremely confident to achieve it.”